Coffee Grinds Keep Clocks Ticking With Nespresso Batteries

Design trends are all about sustainability these days, and repurposing what would otherwise be garbage fits right in. So why shouldn't we expect to discover that an Austrian design company, Mischer' Traxler, created batteries from Nespresso's used coffee capsules to power clocks and small radios?

Nespresso powered clocks: image via Dezeen.com

Each capsule is made of light weight aluminum that Nespresso fills with one of 16 "Grand Crus," espressos with a variety of taste and fragrance attributions.

What's left after processing the Nespresso capsule through one of the Nespresso machines is a capsule full of coffee grinds. Mischer' Traxler has repurposed these capsules along with some copper strips and salt water to make mini batteries, each with about 1.5 Volts of power.

Nespresso battery ingredients: image via Dezeen.com

Nespresso battery: image via Dezeen.com

In an installation in the window of Nespresso Austria for Vienna Design Week, October 1 - 10, 2010, Mischer' Traxler used about 700 Nespresso capsules (the equivalent of a one year Nespresso supply for one person) to create power for 16 clocks - one aluminum color for each Grand Cru. The designers hope that just knowing what is supplying the power to the clocks should inspire people to return their used capsules to Nespresso for recycling.

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